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Windows 10 October 2018 Update Is Now Available; Features 'Your Phone' Android Messaging App, Dark Theme For File Explorer, and Other Tweaks (techcrunch.com)
Microsoft today announced that the Windows 10 October 2018 update is now available. While the update is fairly minor, it does offer a number of interesting new features. TechCrunch reports: The most interesting of these is probably the new "Your Phone" app, which allows you to text from your PC using an Android phone that also runs Microsoft's mobile companion app. In later iterations, that app will also sync notifications to your desktop, but for now, that's not an option. There also are tools for continuing your workflow as you switch from your phone to PC (or vice versa). These features work for iOS users, too. As far as syncing between devices goes, it's worth noting that the update also will allow you to share your clipboard between PCs.
Since everybody likes a dark mode these days, the Windows 10 File Explorer now also includes a dark theme. There's also a revamped search experience, as well as a new screenshot tool. While the release includes plenty of other tweaks, both in terms of functionality and design, the most anticipated feature, Sets, didn't make it into this release. Sets is probably the biggest change to the overall Windows user experience since the release of Windows 10, so maybe it's no surprise that Microsoft is trying to perfect this. And perfection takes a while. ZDNet has highlighted many of the "smaller" new features, such as the improved Windows search functionality, battery details for Bluetooth devices, and a built-in Clipboard manager that can sync clips across devices signed into the same Microsoft account.
Since everybody likes a dark mode these days, the Windows 10 File Explorer now also includes a dark theme. There's also a revamped search experience, as well as a new screenshot tool. While the release includes plenty of other tweaks, both in terms of functionality and design, the most anticipated feature, Sets, didn't make it into this release. Sets is probably the biggest change to the overall Windows user experience since the release of Windows 10, so maybe it's no surprise that Microsoft is trying to perfect this. And perfection takes a while. ZDNet has highlighted many of the "smaller" new features, such as the improved Windows search functionality, battery details for Bluetooth devices, and a built-in Clipboard manager that can sync clips across devices signed into the same Microsoft account.
Actually, I prefer not staring into a fucking lightbulb with light grey text on lighter grey backgrounds which seem common these days. The dark mode also works with most of the win32 widgets, benefiting explorer and classic windows applications as well.
I've been running it for about a week on an HP G4 Zbook. No major surprises or snafus. My fingerprint reader didn't work immediately post-upgrade, but works now. I assume it grabbed the new driver from Windows update, but haven't followed up to check.
(I work for Microsoft as a Platforms PFE supporting enterprise customers, and I understand that makes my opinion invalid. They aren't paying me to say this. They aren't paying me to say that either.)
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I'll get used to it though. Thanks Microsoft for the choice.
Next thing you know, Microsoft will add the dark mode to the Control Panel (it just continues to stick around after its deprecation in Windows 8: aka the tablet touch UI fiasco, so scandalous it caused Microsoft to skip a version.)
I will be pissed if in a future release "dark mode" inverts the colour scheme of the command window to be black text on a white background, though. ;-)